Tuberculoѕiѕ (TB) iѕ a number one killer among treatable infectious diseases. It is caused by the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculoѕiѕ that primarily affects the lungѕ. It infects one third of the world population and kills approximately 2 million people each year (based on WHO report). Drug-reѕiѕtant TB haѕ become a...
The isoprenoid pathway is one of the major biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites. Isoprenoids with a C₂₀ skeleton are known as diterpenoids and are derived from the common precursor, geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP). This dissertation describes approaches to discover the diterpene synthase enzymes which provide the backbone structures for pleuromutilin and...
Myxobacteria represent an interesting class of Gram-negative soil bacteria. These bacteria utilize organic materials from the environment as a food source by the action of their extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. They grow vegetatively in the presence of adequate nutrients. During starvation conditions, however, they aggregate and form multicellular structures called fruiting...
Marine organisms produce a variety of secondary metabolites for defense, communication, and reproduction. While these uses are essential for the organisms' survival, marine natural products have demonstrated their value to human society as well. Asian countries used algae for centuries to treat or prevent illnesses as wide-ranging as cough, gout,...
Quinolinate (QUIN) is an endogenous neurotoxic product of the kynurenine
pathway of tryptophan metabolism. Quinolinate is a selective agonist of the NMDA
family of glutamate receptors and, as such, may play a role in the pathology of a number
of major central nervous system (CNS) disorders. These include both chronic...